Exploring Digital Games-Based Learning Design for Enhancing Resilience in Higher Education Students: Unveiling the Potential of RESSIL

Exploring Digital Games-Based Learning Design for Enhancing Resilience in Higher Education Students: Unveiling the Potential of RESSIL | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Exploring Digital Games-Based Learning Design for Enhancing Resilience in Higher Education Students: Unveiling the Potential of RESSIL Wendee White, Paul Gault, Jill Shimi, Kristi Herd, Gaye Manwaring This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4219354/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study addresses the increasing recognition of resilience as a pivotal component of student success against the backdrop of mounting concerns regarding student mental health and wellbeing in higher education. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature, the study integrates insights from resilience theory and digital game-based learning to inform the design of an adventure-based digital game, ‘Resilience Education Supports Students in Life’ (RESSIL), aimed at developing the resilience capacities of undergraduate students. A purposeful pilot study approach supports an exploration of the User Experience (Ux) to gain insights into the effectiveness and value of RESSIL’s design and its potential for achieving its intended aim. Focus group discussions engage undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds and thematic analysis sheds light on the effectiveness of RESSIL's game design in fostering engagement, facilitating knowledge transfer, and nurturing resilience-related skills among players. The findings underscore the significance of integrating narrative-driven gameplay and multisensory engagement to cultivate meaningful Ux and improve learning outcomes. Furthermore, the study highlights the critical role of aligning learning content with game elements to ensure coherence and optimise the game's utility. Insights gained from this pilot study offer valuable guidance for enhancing the game and lay the foundation for a larger study investigating RESSIL’s efficacy as a resilience intervention. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on DGBL in higher education, emphasising the importance of user-centered design principles and co-creation methodologies in developing effective educational games. resilience wellbeing digital games-based learning student success co-creation technology interventions Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 1 Introduction 1.1 Rationale and Underpinning Literature Universities are increasingly aware of the importance of wellbeing in learning and student success [1]. At a time when students report a significant increase in their declining mental health and wellbeing [2] the promotion of student resilience is a key priority across the higher education sector. As an antecedent of wellbeing, resilience is a significant factor in critical aspects of the student experience including transitions, academic engagement, identity formation, sense of belonging, and achievement [3]. It’s importance in undergraduate populations has been brought into sharp focus as a result of an ever-widening range of participation demographics defined by multilingual, ethnoculturally, and economically diverse populations paired with the demands of daily life, made all the more challenging during a cost-of-living crisis [4]. Resilience informs an individual’s capacity to function in daily life and supports recovery from stressful events [5]. Shimi and Manwaring [6] recommend that institutions, staff, and students all need to take responsibility to promote the resilience agenda. Resilience is a complex concept defined in different ways within the existing body of literature [7] but in general it is associated with positive adaptation in the face of some kind of adversity [8]. One operational definition is, “Resilience is the development of the skills and abilities to transform challenges into opportunities for growth” ([6], p. 58). Skills and abilities are recognisable as, for example, an individual’s capacity for coping, flexible thinking, decision-making, managing change and uncertainty, regulating emotion, and social connectedness; these become personal resources that allow an individual to adapt, overcome, and grow through the challenges and difficulties presented in daily life [6,9,10]. For undergraduate students, resilience is a significant factor in student success that informs how students adapt and grow through the combined challenges of daily life and study expectations. Resilience can be improved through interventions [11] specifically designed to build an individual’s awareness of, access to, and dynamic use of personal resources. Research suggests resilience training is directly related to an individual’s stress management, and psychological wellbeing [12]. Interactive technologies provide one avenue for developing resilience interventions [10]. Pusey et al. [10] report features of effective interventions that have used interactive technology, citing, engagement, transferability of skills, changing behaviour, improved coping skills, and stress management. This finding is expanded on in Maresch and Kampman [13] who investigated the use of an online board game to promote resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The authors identify benefits of interactive technology for promoting learning, reporting participants’ high engagement through a sense of feeling safe and uninhibited in the online space; this was paired with participants’ broadening understanding of resilience, and a sense of building personal resources that would equip them in uncertain times. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is one example of an interactive technology that adopts a game-based approach to promote learning. The popularity of game-based approaches has grown over the last three decades, becoming an integral part of contemporary education spanning a range of subjects at all levels [14]. DGBL is gaining momentum in higher education [15] providing an interactive, student-centred teaching approach designed to motivate, engage, and lead students toward a learning outcome [16]. For students whose lives are immersed in technology, DGBL offers a more innovative and engaging learning experience from traditional approaches [17]. DGBL involves the integration of gaming and learning experiences and in doing so, introduces a play-based approach esteemed by professionals, academics, and policy makers for its potential to increase student engagement and motivation while driving a learning focus [1,18]. Walsh and Clementson [19] highlight multiple benefits of play-based pedagogies in higher education, citing their value in promoting the development of core inter and intrapersonal skills essential for student success and future employability. Through play, students feel involved, see things from alternative perspectives, practise skills, enjoy learning and associated challenge, learn good communication and team working skills; they develop empathy, reflection and tolerant citizenship [19]. Experiences such as these foster optimism, positive psychological wellbeing and sense of belonging, all of which contribute to an individual’s resilience [20]. Interest in the use and efficacy of DGBL modalities is increasing [21] and multiple studies report its benefit for promoting resilience. All et al. [26] note its potential to support knowledge transfer, skills-based tuition, and/or behavioural change. Habibi [22] highlights the value of digital games for their capacity to engage failure and resilience as important aspects of gameplay. Digital games often involve overcoming obstacles to progress to the next level and learning approaches to develop the strength to keep going [23]. Engagement of this nature has potential to promote what Taleb [24] defines as an ‘anti-fragile’ mindset where an individual appraises challenges as opportunities for growth rather than as problems; through this lens they encounter and overcome adversity to become stronger and better able to face future challenges [24]. This is especially important for undergraduate students who are likely to encounter a myriad of stressors and emotions, challenges, or failures, associated with the social, psychological, and cultural dynamics of the student journey [25]. The current study explores the user experience (Ux) of a digital game designed to teach resilience capacities to undergraduate students and in doing so contributes to the growing discourse examining the use and efficacy of interactive technologies to support learning [21]. This study is the first in a series, exploring the design and use of a DGBL tool called, ‘Resilience Education Supports Students in Life’ (RESSIL). RESSIL is intended to promote knowledge transfer and behaviour change using real-world scenarios that engage users’ problem-solving and decision-making skills; it provides feedback to support learning and is intended to increase students’ understanding of resilience through the development of capacities including empathy, social connectedness, coping, and stress management. This paper reports the initial findings of the user experience (Ux) of RESSIL and its potential for supporting students to learn strategies that promote resilience. No agreed protocol for examining the efficacy of DGBL currently exists [26] and in this study an exploration of Ux has been chosen for its potential to support an examination of the game elements and learning content that define the game design and from which it is possible to discern the effectiveness and success of the game (27,28). 2 Background and Context ‘Resilience Education Supports Students in Life’ (RESSIL) is a co-created digital game, developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from a Scottish University working in partnership with a fourth-year student studying BSc (Hons) Digital Interaction Design from the same institution. RESSIL is an adventure-based wellbeing game intended to support undergraduate students to develop their understanding of resilience capacities, for example, regulating emotion, gaining perspective, coping, stress management, and positive relationships. Co-creation is a valuable part of this study’s research design, bringing together staff and student participation in the design, development, and trial of the game prototype. Co-creation is an approach that has been used effectively in business and health sciences to amalgamate stakeholder expertise to inform creative problem-solving and innovative solutions [ 29 ]. In education contexts, researchers identify the value of engaging student voice in game design, development, and gameplay, noting it contributes favourably to results when students are engaged as co-producers and emphasizing its importance in improving curriculum design in game-based learning environments [ 30 , 31 ]. Co-creation supports a synthesis of knowledge as a “heterogenous transaction” ([ 32 ], p. 396) and in this study it united individuals with expertise in a host of areas including digital game-based learning design, education, wellbeing, and student experience; a key priority in the co-creation design was the involvement of undergraduate students. Engaging a student stakeholder in the development stages introduced a unique and significant dynamic that was important to the prototype design; this included strong illustration abilities leading to the use of engaging graphics; User Experience (Ux) design skills relevant to the target population; and an understanding of the learner motivations from a student perspective. The additional focus on recruiting undergraduate students to participate in trialing the game provided opportunity to explore players thoughts and feelings from which it was possible to inductively examine patterns and themes relevant to the Ux and bespoke to the target population. Collaboration by team members supported a cross-pollination of ideas that made it possible to overcome a primary challenge of DGBL designs to effectively weave together learning content with entertainment value to inform a positive Ux [ 32 , 33 ]. Team members with expertise in student experience, wellbeing and resilience conveyed theoretical knowledge and developed learning content to meet the games intended learning outcomes, while members with expertise in interaction design and gaming experience identified innovative and engaging approaches for capturing learning content through the game design. Collaborative discussions supported the team in defining a congruent approach to the game design to effectively weave together the learning and entertainment strands. ​ 2.1 Game Design The game design adopts a narrative that includes a role-playing adventure metaphor based on a captain and his team taking a hot air balloon ride across an imaginary island (see Fig. 1 ). Narrative and role-play are scenario-based learning (SBL) strategies that use scenarios as a vehicle for the teaching and learning process, providing students with the opportunity to learn from and apply their learning to realistic experiences [ 34 , 35 ]. The game is implemented with a click-through experience prototype [ 36 ] using Google Slides. Players take the role of captain and land their hot air balloon on coloured tiles linked with different types of mini games to help develop the player’s understanding of resilience in relation to their education. The five categories of mini games are emotion, time, motivation, managing change and managing stress. Using SBL strategies embedded in the digital game provides a safe opportunity for students to learn and develop their decision-making, and problem-solving skills [ 35 ]. Along with very well resolved visual elements, background sound is also embedded throughout to give a sense of atmosphere and help show different phases of game play. As the captain, the player interacts with four crew mate characters who pose questions throughout. The questions require the player to engage with the relevant mini-game topic. This sometimes requires the player to use the visual appearance of the characters to judge what the best course of action was. For example, after landing on one tile, the captain is met by a character who looks visibly ill. The captain is asked to choose between directing the teammate to “fix the engine”, “fix the basket” or “go relax” (see Fig. 2 ). By engaging with the crewmate’s visual body language, the captain needs to recognise the presence of high stress associated with being physically unwell and offer an appropriate strategy based on the options provided. The correct answer is to instruct the crewmate to “go relax” and links to the player’s prior learning about stress, critical thinking, and leadership skills by reinforcing this in a workplace situation. Depending on which option is chosen, the player either progresses further along the journey or is asked to try again. In the event the player is required to try again, additional, short pieces of text appear, providing further information, strategies, and techniques for how to manage stress and build resilience. As the game progresses, an embedded interactive marketplace activity provides the player with an opportunity to choose different objects to help them along their journey (see Fig. 3 ). These objects act as a metaphor by representing different types of support tools that could help players cope positively to mitigate against stress. For example, the player could choose to buy a propeller that represents goal setting/action planning to keep moving forward in their learning journey.​ The player completes the game by successfully traversing the gameboard journey, and in doing so, having addressed the various character vignettes that required them to correctly apply knowledge, skills, and strategies designed to build resilience capacities. The embedded use of scenario-based learning strategies as part of the DGBL design supported a positive learning and entertainment experience; immersion in realistic, real-world scenarios provided rich learning opportunities, and the targeted use of game elements including mechanics and aesthetics leveraged motivation and engagement [ 37 ]. 3 Method 3.1 The Study Design This paper reports findings from a pilot study exploring the Ux of RESSIL. The pilot study is a purposeful tool in research design, garnering further insight into important and meaningful characteristics of significance to the Ux design [ 38 ]. Emri and Mäyrä [ 27 ] cite the value of understanding Ux, acknowledging it is a foundation for “understanding what a game is” (p. 1). The pilot study provided the opportunity to explore and better understand differences in Ux, recognising variability in experience levels, interests, and game-appeal to provide a meaningful learning environment [ 39 ]. Guided by principles of pragmatism [ 38 ], the research favoured an inductive exploration of gameplay experiences to achieve an insightful understanding of the Ux that could be used to shape future game iterations [ 40 ]. Ethical approval was obtained according to the university’s standard procedure, and the pilot study took place between June and October 2022. The following section provides an overview of the approaches to data collection, and analysis. 3.2 Participants and Procedure Participants were recruited using the university’s internal email communication system from three different undergraduate programmes: Community Education; Initial Teacher Education; Digital Interaction Design. Three focus groups with between 2 and 5 participants in each group (N = 9; M = 4; F = 5) were hosted in an online Microsoft TEAMs meeting space. The focus groups involved two parts: to begin, participants were asked to engage in 20 minutes of individual gameplay with the RESSIL prototype, after which they engaged in a 30-minute semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews provide a rich opportunity to engage users as the experts in their own experience from which it is possible to decipher their understanding of what the game is [ 27 , 38 ]. The research team developed a semi-structured interview framework containing open-ended questions, which provided a standardised structure for each of the focus group facilitators while supporting a flexible approach to the unfolding participant discussion to ensure a rich exploration of experiences [ 38 ]. Nine areas of interest, including, the user’s game experience; the intended vs received purpose of the game; new knowledge and skills; motivation; engagement; transferrable skills; sensory experience; and areas for development, were explored. Video recording was used to capture each focus group with transcriptions following; qualitative data was cleaned to remove unwanted instructional information and narrative was edited to correct grammar and syntax without altering the text meaning [ 41 ]. The transcriptions captured the spoken word and noted non-verbal language including tonal changes, and body language (i.e. nodding, or shaking of one’s head). Cohen et al. [ 38 ] note the importance of this multi-layered approach to transcription for overcoming the otherwise opaque nature of a verbal transcription. The analysis process involved three stages. Guided by Braun and Clarke [ 42 ] stage 1 engaged multiple research team members in data sorting, annotating and colour coding the transcriptions to identify emerging codes across the nine areas of interest. A digital whiteboard was used to capture the codes and discussion by team members, agreeing or revisiting data until consensus was achieved [ 43 ]. The use of multiple coders in this initial stage of analysis embedded a higher degree of rigour than achievable by one coder, overcoming the inherent risk of privileging one interpretation over another [ 38 ]. In stage 2, the primary researcher used axial coding [ 38 ] to categorise the initial codes according to three dimensions of Ux: utility, usability, desirability [ 44 ]. This involved a process of constant comparison and theoretical revisiting from which it was possible to combine the data from across the 9 areas of interest [ 45 ]. The three dimensions of Ux support the game designer understanding the accessibility, functionality, aesthetic appeal, and general fit for purpose-ness of the game from the user perspective [ 44 ]. This led to stage 3, which involved deciphering the emerging themes related to the fit-for-purpose-ness of the game [ 38 ]. Figure 4 captures the three stages of analysis. The next section of writing explores each theme to better understand RESSIL’s learning and entertainment value. 4 Findings and Discussion Educational games are complex to design. They require the coherent weaving together of learning and game elements, including the dynamics, mechanics, and aesthetics, the success of which has implications for the user experience (Ux) [ 28 , 33 , 46 ]. The quality of the Ux relates to the thoughts and feelings the user has during gameplay and ultimately informs the effectiveness and success of the game [ 27 , 28 ]. Understanding the Ux is important as it provides actionable insights that are significant to future iterations of the game design and an overall picture of the games potential for achieving a learning outcome [ 37 , 47 ]. This exploratory study aimed at better understanding the Ux of an early prototype adventure-based wellbeing game designed to promote resilience, called RESSIL. Researchers were interested in the games’ potential for supporting students to learn about resilience factors that inform wellbeing. Thematic analysis supported identifying patterns across player experiences making it possible to locate practical concerns and enhance the game design [ 37 ]. Four themes significant to the Ux related to learning and the use of game elements emerged from the analysis. These themes were: game purpose and premise; Ux coherence; emotional engagement; learning potential and transferable skills. The following section explores each theme, their relevance to Ux and significance to the digital game-based design. 4.1 Game Purpose and Premise Findings suggest the purpose and premise are important design features that contribute favourably to the Ux. The purpose and premise are closely interacting dynamics in game design; these dynamics drive the game and inform a game designer’s structural and mechanic decision-making. Their integration into the game design influences how users interact with and find value in a product making them a significant factor in a user’s motivation and engagement [ 33 , 44 , 48 ]. In educational games, the purpose has both an entertainment and a learning focus, which ultimately informs the game’s utility [ 44 ]. This dual focus demands attention to design features that are both entertaining and have pedagogical value [ 33 ]. They must be woven together in a way that supports the development of knowledge and skills associated with a desired learning outcome while bringing an entertainment value to the user [ 33 ]. RESSIL’s purpose is to support users develop their understanding of resilience factors and how to apply these in real life. This learning purpose was reflected favourably in the findings, suggesting design considerations positively influenced this aspect of the Ux. The following quotes provide context: I think it's really effective in its purpose, assuming it’s to foster resilience in folk. I think it's effective in communicating that message and I think it's really helpful in how it does externalize people's needs, their feelings and perspectives. The game is about a way in which they can see how they can practice well-being and resilience and the value it is to themselves and other people. Content from the previous quotes allude to the underpinning premise of the game and the influence it had on promoting engagement by externalising needs, feelings, and perspectives , and through ‘[seeing] how they can practice wellbeing’ . Grudpan et al. [ 48 ] define premise as a story behind the game that brings an unchanging and permeating meaning. RESSIL’s designers used narrative and role-play [ 35 ] to create the premise and to establish a set of “behavioural intentions” ([ 48 ], p. 225) oriented toward the health and wellbeing of a team and that effectively bridged the game’s learning and entertainment purpose. Within the game’s storyline, the player took on the role of a ship’s captain, who encountered problems along the journey. To advance in the game, the captain was required to solve the problems - which involved threats to individual team members’ wellbeing. In doing so, the player learned about and practised using various resilience capacities to positively support the team’s wellbeing and to successfully complete the story. This understanding comes through positively in the following participant quote: Team working, and how to maintain health, healthy relationships with people. Running into problems and how to overcome them with the most level-headed attitude. Well-designed DGBL environments have the potential to improve real-world skills [ 37 ]. The game’s premise promoted the use of problem-solving and leadership skills, team-working, and awareness of others. This made it possible to introduce and engage players meaningfully in real-world issues to be surmounted through the adventure [ 35 ]. Findings suggest these aspects of the game were valued by participants: The theme of the captain of the airship was quite compelling… the leadership narrative and taking care of the folks that are on your ship and giving them that time and empathy and working solutions out potentially with them. It’s a lesson in person centred engagement. Adaptive problem-solving was effectively integrated through the story line and as the quote suggests, introduced a ‘ leadership narrative’ that allowed users to interact with learning materials to practice core skills related to resilience. Kucher [ 37 ] highlights adaptive problem-solving and interactivity as two favourable principles of DGBL design and the illustrative quotes are indicative of the value of these principles to a positive Ux. By weaving the purpose and premise of the game through a narrative structure, users found value in the utility of RESSIL. 4.2 Ux Coherence A core challenge for education game designers is realising the translation of learning purpose into an entertaining game design that will promote a cohesive Ux that is both educational and entertaining ([ 33 ], p. 393). Coherence is a significant factor in Ux, fuelling or extinguishing the user’s immersive state according to the influence on engagement, motivation, intrinsic game value and learning potential [ 33 , 37 ]. DGBL designers attend to coherence through the sophisticated weaving together of game mechanics and aesthetics [ 33 , 46 ]. The mechanics promote fun and enjoyment during gameplay and are what drive a player’s actions, behaviours, and control [ 49 ]. Examples include the use of points, stories, badges, or performance graphs [ 50 ]. The aesthetics inform the seamless flow of the game and include, for example, audiovisual features, rules, and temporal features. These inform how the game plays and contribute to the emotional, intellectual, and practical aspects of the user’s experience [ 46 ]. When combined, they support the game’s coherence, effectively bridging together pedagogical concerns with entertainment and contributing to the desirability of game [ 33 ]. Findings bring attention to an aspect of RESSIL’s game design where the weaving together of mechanics and visual aesthetics lacked coherence. Participants found the mechanical use of text was intellectually demanding, which on first encounter in the analysis was a reasonable finding given RESSIL’s intended undergraduate student audience. However, further analysis revealed a conflicting evaluation of the game’s visual aesthetics, which participants felt spoke to a much younger audience. The contrast between the mechanics and visual aesthetics disrupted the Ux, generating uncertainty about the intended audience and overall usability of the game. One participant commented “there is a lot of text, especially for a 10-year-old” , and others suggested the “ message is slightly mature” and “ advanced ”. When asked to provide more insight into who the intended audience should be, another participant’s response clarified the cause of uncertainty, bringing attention to the conflicting interaction between the mechanical choice of text and the visual aesthetics of the game: I think in terms of the actual visual aesthetic, it's probably closer to children, but the actual content of it is for those [who are] older. The ineffective weaving together of the text and character graphics had a negative impact on the Ux in terms of the user’s sense of value and accessibility of the game for its intended undergraduate student audience. This finding highlights an area of RESSIL’s design that threatens its usability and desirability [ 44 ]. For a young audience, the heavy use of text and ‘slightly mature’ messaging may negatively impact fun and engagement, while an audience capable of engaging the text-based learning material, may be de-motivated by the child-friendly character graphics. A game that is fun, motivating, and supports engagement is likely to invoke feelings of pleasure and desirability with positive implications for learning making this a significant factor in the game’s success and a priority for consideration in the game design [ 51 ]. 4.3 Emotional Engagement Emotion is a significant factor for consideration in DGBL. It influences how an individual thinks, feels, acts, and interacts in each situation and has direct implications for learning and Ux [ 52 , 53 ]. One emotion central to the Ux and a game’s success is enjoyment [ 54 ]; it is indicative of an individual’s sense of pleasure and signals positive intrinsic motivation and effort. The experience of enjoyment functions to mediate learning by activating higher order processes including attention, self-regulation, and flexible thinking [ 55 ]. Players who enjoy the game experience are likely to persist in game play, which in turn supports their ongoing involvement in the learning process [ 56 ]. Authors suggest a well-designed game that effectively intertwines game elements will inspire activating emotions, for example, excitement, joy, pride, and frustration, while avoiding deactivating emotions such as boredom [ 46 , 57 ]. Findings bring to light aspects of RESSIL’s game design that cultivated positive user emotions and had a positive impact on motivation and engagement. This is captured in the following quotes that highlight the importance of multisensory opportunities to elicit positive emotion experiences. I thought the graphics were really good. I wanted to see what would come up next. And I think because the games were so different as well, you weren’t repeating the same thing...I think that's what I liked about it. This quote highlights the relationship between a positive emotion experience associated with feeling something is ‘really good’ and a player’s motivation to persist in gameplay. A second participant valued the ‘ dialogue choice’ used to develop the character narratives, while another responded favourably to the use of scoring, describing how it ‘ motivated [them] to see what [their] score would be and if [they] could improve it if [they] played again’ . Multiple participants praised the use of mini-games and music, finding them ‘ quite engaging’ and prompted positive emotion responses that favoured positive Ux. These findings highlight what Adipat et al. [ 56 ] describe as design features that generate player interest and curiosity and in doing so inject a sustaining value for the game, signalling its desirability, and potential to support learning. When a player appraises an aspect of gameplay unfavourably it informs a negative emotion experience that has negative implications for engagement and motivation [ 57 ]. This was reflected in the participant feedback related to the overuse of text that was required to engage in game play. One participant described their sense of ‘ boredom in the middle of the game’ through the ongoing need to read the text. Boredom is a detrimental emotion to the Ux [ 57 ]. It signals a lack of meaningful engagement characterised by waning attention, low stimulation, and lack of value for the game experience [ 58 ]. It reflects the user’s dissatisfaction with the usability of the game and signals low desirability [ 51 , 57 , 59 ]. This is an important finding, highlighting a concern that poses a threat to the game’s long-term success, its potential to support learning, and signals an area for further development. 4.4 Learning Potential and Transferable Skills Learning opportunities that support the development of transferable inter and intra-personal skills are a priority in Higher Education [ 60 ]. Boctor [ 61 ] suggests a strength of educational games is their applied potential; with successful games supporting participants to learn problem-solving skills, analyse a situation, and apply acquired knowledge in real life. Findings suggest RESSIL supported players in learning about and developing transferable skills related to their own resilience capacities. The following participant comments indicate a growing understanding related to empathy, managing stress, and coping strategies. For two participants, learning new perspectives about the importance of social support promoted the development of transferable skills related to managing stress: “I think for me, it was that helping others can be an effective strategy for stress…Sometimes when we are stressed and go into hyper focus on our own world and our own problems it's quite hard to get out of that funk, so it's maybe that a positive strategy to deal with some of the challenges in your own life, is to help people with theirs. “ “We never need to stop cultivating good relationships and nurturing the bonds that we share with people. They always need tended to and that's just life. It's maintenance. “ The sense of caring for others and valuing relationships that emerges from the previous quotes suggests an understanding of social relatedness [ 62 ]. Social relatedness is an important resilience factor that informs active problem solving; this is a positive coping strategy with positive implications to wellbeing based on its capacity to inform a sense of control and confidence that allows an individual to persist and move through an experience in a positive direction [ 20 , 63 ]. For undergraduate students who encounter a multitude of daily life and study related stresses, social relatedness is a positive protective factor that informs resilience and is a significant resource in student success [ 20 , 64 , 65 ]. Sailer et al. [ 50 ] found game designs that include the use of meaningful stories or assign a player a meaningful role prompt social relatedness, informing the player’s situational interest, motivation, and learner engagement. The following quotes provide evidence, illustrating the interconnectedness of social relatedness and transferable skills, and illuminating both the positive learning potential and entertainment value of the game: The first scenario asked you to respond to a crewmate that was unwell. I think I reflected on that because I probably - if it was a real-life situation, would have just said, ‘Oh, are you OK?’ but I feel like now, that's maybe not the most helpful thing to say. So now I would consider actually asking them what I could do to help, and that would be more helpful than just asking ‘Are they OK?’ The social relatedness experienced through role play has led to new learning characterized by the participant’s changed perspective, new sense of emotional availability, and attention to the scenario [ 65 ]. The participant’s revised approach demonstrates an ‘active’ interest and motivation to engage through which there is opportunity to internalize learning [ 65 ]. As a game element, role play can be seen as a significant factor in Ux, positively influencing both the learning aim and the entertainment value of the game. This finding is reflected by Partala and Kallinen [ 51 ] who highlight relatedness as a core determinant in player satisfaction, informing their appraisal of a game’s usability and long-term success. A further exchange between participants reveals the applied learning potential and transferable skills related to coping strategies that promote resilience: Participant 1: One that I noticed was focusing on what you can change and not to worry too much about what you can't change… I think it's great that it's in the game. It can really help people's mindset if they're not aware of that already. Participant 3: Yeah, I would agree with Participant 1 just because I had never thought about that in those different scenarios until the game said it. And then I realized that's what I was doing - kind of thinking about what I could change rather than what I couldn't. So, it was useful that it explicitly said that because that's something I wouldn't have if I was teaching resilience, I wouldn't have thought to explicitly teach that. But that is really what managing stress is about. This is an important finding, suggesting RESSIL’s potential for promoting resilience through fostering the development of protective factors such as perspective and coping [ 3 ]. Perspective is one factor that contributes to resilience and that informs wellbeing; as an approach to coping, perspective influences behaviour, emotion, and decision-making [ 66 ] and helps an individual to maintain equilibrium; persist during adversity; adaptively respond and contend with challenging situations, and continue toward a positive outcome [ 20 ]. It is also the most common factor with which undergraduate students struggle [ 3 ] making it an important learning outcome and highlighting the potential value of RESSIL as a resilience intervention. The quotes shared in the previous section of findings bring attention to reflection as a factor in Ux that influenced learning potential and transferability of knowledge and skills [ 67 ]. The scenarios gave context that prompted noticing, awareness, and engagement with new thinking and meaning making [ 68 ]. These are important components that support adult learners to understand their own experiences and that promote transformation [ 68 , 69 ]. This finding suggests there is a positive potential for RESSIL to support learning. An exploration of Ux has been an effective approach for examining the effectiveness of RESIL as an interactive technology intervention designed to support undergraduate students learn about resilience in life. The four themes that emerged through the analysis have provided useful understanding and actionable insights into the RESSIL’s potential, highlighting valuable design features and game elements that promoted engagement and learning, and bringing attention to areas for enhancement [ 37 , 47 ]. 5 Conclusion Proserpio and Gioia [ 17 ] emphasise the need to align teaching and learning experiences with social and technological change, noting current generations of students are virtual learners. As such learning environments must be designed to address this contemporary reality [ 59 ]. In response, DGBL experiences are gaining popularity in higher education as a teaching and learning approach that can bridge pedagogical interests in a technologically rich space and in doing so provide an innovative, interactive, student-centered environment that is motivating and engaging for leaners [ 16 , 26 ]. This pilot study explored the Ux of RESSIL, an adventure-based digital game designed to support undergraduate students to learn about resilience. Our aim was to better understand the effectiveness and value of the DGBL design and RESSIL’s potential for supporting students to learn about resilience factors that inform wellbeing. Building resilience is important for undergraduate students who face an array of stresses related to study and daily life [ 3 ]; resilience supports them contend during periods of adversity, to recover from stress, and to maintain a positive trajectory [ 20 ]. Findings from this pilot study provide valuable insight into RESSIL’s use and design considerations that may enhance the game’s potential for achieving its aim. Furthermore, they build on the growing discourse exploring the use of DGBL modalities in higher education, drawing attention to significant design features, and reinforcing their use in technology-based resilience interventions [ 10 , 21 ]. Our inductive exploration brought attention to the effectiveness of RESSIL’s game design, made visible through its positive influence on Ux and the cultivation of transferrable skills directly related to resilience capacities that inform student wellbeing. The integration of scenario-based learning strategies including narrative and role-play were central to RESSIL’s success. These supported the game designer in generating a clear purpose and premise that drove the translation and integration of the learning and entertainment interests. Narrative and role-play captured user interest, established social connection, situational meaning, prompted reflection, and promoted value in the utility of the game. These conditions supported knowledge transfer and applied understanding [ 10 , 26 ] that helped learners construct their understanding of interpersonal factors impacting resilience and wellbeing and how these might be overcome in a real-world context [ 26 , 69 ]. The importance of mechanics and aesthetics reinforced findings that highlight their value in facilitating learning [ 33 , 46 , 57 ] and drew specific attention to their influence on RESSIL’s usability and desirability according to their impact on motivation and engagement in response to the user’s emotion experience. Notably, our findings highlight the need for varied, multisensory opportunities as a condition for eliciting positive emotion experiences. Over-reliance on one strategy, for example, text-based engagement proved to be deactivating for the user with negative implications to motivation and engagement. Future iterations in RESSIL’s design will take this factor into consideration. Importantly, we have learned the negative potential when the integration of learning content and game elements do not align. This negatively impacts the Ux through a lack of coherence that disrupts the game’s utility, usability, and desirability, with negative implications to its success. This finding centralizes what others have previously highlighted as the key challenge in designing effective DGBL environments [ 33 ] and has prompted a deeper reflection on our approach to the game design. Specifically, it prompted reflection on our methodological decision-making prompting an exploration of the significance of co-creation in our design process, and alighting attention to future considerations. Co-creation embedded a commitment to collaboration, shared thinking and decision-making, effective communication, and problem solving [ 29 ]. Through co-creation we were able to identify, adapt, and overcome challenges including different pedagogies and vocabularies associated with our diverse histories and experiences. Co-creation supported the successful and integrated working of all team members to meet the mutual goal of an integrated learning experience and was a core factor in RESSIL’s overall success [ 33 ]. A unique feature in RESSIL’s game design was starting from an educational learning perspective and venturing into game design; this offered a different trajectory than someone who started as a game designer trying to introduce education theory. As part of the co-creation process, it helped to ensure a pedagogical focus driven by a well-established theoretical basis from which the educationalists and game designers could engage in rich discussions informing game element design decision-making [ 33 ]. This aspect of development has also introduced an awareness of the need to ensure a balanced approach to the interplay of pedagogic content and game elements. Over focus on the need to convey information may have influenced a text-heavy focus and future game iterations will take this into consideration. Our reflections also brought to the fore the importance of student stakeholders as participants in the co-creation process [ 30 ]. Inviting undergraduate students to participate in the various stages of the research process, including the design aspects and pilot study introduced a meaningful and relevant voice that has enhanced articulation and integration into the design decision-making process [ 31 ]. Reflection has given rise to future considerations exploring the potential power imbalance that exists between members of the design team and working to ensure the student designer feels equally weighted in discussing the use of elements to convey pedagogical content. This may have been a factor that influenced over-reliance on the text-based element of the game. As a small-scale exploration, the pilot study has confirmed the use of RESSIL as a resilience intervention. It has provided useful insight into game enhancements that will be applied in the next design phase and supported our exploration of co-creation as a design process, highlighting future considerations. The findings have laid the groundwork for a robust study examining the efficacy of the game in supporting undergraduate students to learn about and adopt resilience capacities that support wellbeing. Future research must engage a larger participant population from different universities through which it will be possible to generalize findings on the game’s effectiveness as a resilience intervention. Abbreviations DGBL Digital games–based learning SBL Scenario based learning RESSIL Resilience Education Supports Students in Life Declarations Authors’ Contributions : WW – was the lead investigator and analyst, and the primary contributor to the article. PG – was a supporting investigator, analyst, and contributor to the article. JS, KH, GM - were supporting investigators, each helped in the initial stages of data sorting, and contributed to the review of literature that informed the article. All authors read and agreed on the final manuscript. Authors’ Information Wendee White is a Lecturer in Education and Curriculum and Assessment Convenor on the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education Programme at the University of Dundee. Through her research Wendee explores the synergistic interactions of emotion, wellbeing and learning in student experience. Paul Gault is a Lecturer in Interaction Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee. Paul’s research interests include design ethnography with a focus on co-design with different types of people whose voices are seldom heard. Jill Shimi is a Senior Lecturer in School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law at the University of Dundee. Jill’s research interests have included: mentoring, games based learning and global citizenship. Kristi Louise Herd is a Programmes Manager at the University of Dundee. Kristi is an experienced game designer having worked in the gaming industry for several years before joining the university. Kristi’s research interests include implementing strategical problem solving by means of Design Thinking and Design Methods. Gaye Manwaring is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee. She has run courses on resilience and wellbeing both online and face-to-face. Funding: The game design and development was supported with funding from the QAA Scotland Enhancement Theme Conflicts of interest/competing interests – Not applicable/ none to declare Availability of Data and Materials : - The data utilized in this study is not publicly available. Due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, access to the dataset is restricted. However, upon reasonable request, the corresponding author may consider sharing anonymized data or providing access to specific portions of the dataset, subject to the approval of relevant institutional review boards and compliance with ethical guidelines at the University of Dundee. Requests for data access should be directed to [email protected] Code Availability – Not applicable Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate – all experimental protocols were approved by the University of Dundee Ethics Committee. All experiments were performed according to ethical guidelines and regulations. Informed consent was gained from all participants as part of the research protocol. Acknowledgements: We would like to express our gratitude to Aiesha Duncan for her invaluable contributions to this research project. Aiesha provided digital game design expertise in the development of the game prototype. Many thanks to Donna Dey, Angela Lyndsay, and Patricia Thomson for supporting the research and content development phase of the project. We would also like to acknowledge the support of QAA Scotland for providing financial support for this research. References AdvanceHE. Education for sustainable development guidance. 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Jarvis P, Parker, S, editors. Human Learning. Routledge. 2005. pp. 1–15. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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06:11:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1160151,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4219354/v1/893db3f3-b87d-4051-8a5c-b62a1e715c60.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Exploring Digital Games-Based Learning Design for Enhancing Resilience in Higher Education Students: Unveiling the Potential of RESSIL","fulltext":[{"header":"1 Introduction","content":"\u003ch2\u003e1.1 Rationale and Underpinning Literature\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUniversities are increasingly aware of the importance of wellbeing in learning and student success [1]. At a time when students report a significant increase in their declining mental health and wellbeing [2] the promotion of student resilience is a key priority across the higher education sector. \u0026nbsp;As an antecedent of wellbeing, resilience is a significant factor in critical aspects of the student experience including transitions, academic engagement, identity formation, sense of belonging, and achievement [3].\u0026nbsp;It\u0026rsquo;s importance in undergraduate populations has been brought into sharp focus as a result of an ever-widening range of participation demographics defined by multilingual,\u0026nbsp;ethnoculturally, and economically diverse populations paired with the demands\u0026nbsp;of daily life, made all the more challenging during a cost-of-living crisis [4].\u0026nbsp;Resilience informs an individual\u0026rsquo;s capacity to function in daily life and supports recovery from stressful events [5]. Shimi and Manwaring [6] recommend that institutions, staff, and students all need to take responsibility to promote the resilience agenda.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResilience is a complex concept defined in different ways within the existing body of literature [7] but in general it is associated with positive adaptation in the face of some kind of adversity [8]. One operational definition is, \u0026ldquo;Resilience is the development of the skills and abilities to transform challenges into opportunities for growth\u0026rdquo; ([6], p. 58). \u0026nbsp;Skills and abilities are recognisable as, for example, an individual\u0026rsquo;s capacity for coping, flexible thinking, decision-making, managing change and uncertainty, regulating emotion, and social connectedness; these become personal resources that allow an individual to adapt, overcome, and grow through the challenges and difficulties presented in daily life [6,9,10]. For undergraduate students, resilience is a significant factor in student success that informs how students adapt and grow through the combined challenges of daily life and study expectations.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResilience can be improved through interventions [11] specifically designed to build an individual\u0026rsquo;s awareness of, access to, and dynamic use of personal resources. Research suggests resilience training is directly related to an individual\u0026rsquo;s stress management, and psychological wellbeing [12]. Interactive technologies provide one avenue for developing resilience interventions [10]. Pusey et al. [10] report features of effective interventions that have used interactive technology, citing, engagement, transferability of skills, changing behaviour, improved coping skills, and stress management. This finding is expanded on in Maresch and Kampman [13] who investigated the use of an online board game to promote resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The authors\u0026nbsp;identify benefits of interactive technology for promoting learning, reporting participants\u0026rsquo; high engagement through a sense of \u003cem\u003efeeling safe\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003euninhibited\u003c/em\u003e in the online space; this was paired with participants\u0026rsquo; \u003cem\u003ebroadening understanding\u003c/em\u003e of resilience, and a sense of \u003cem\u003ebuilding personal resources\u003c/em\u003e that would equip them in uncertain times. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDigital game-based learning (DGBL) is one example of an interactive technology that adopts a game-based approach to promote learning. The popularity of game-based approaches has grown over the last three decades, becoming an integral part of contemporary education spanning a range of subjects at all levels [14]. DGBL is gaining momentum in higher education [15] providing an\u0026nbsp;interactive, student-centred teaching approach designed to motivate, engage, and lead students toward a learning outcome [16]. For students whose lives are immersed in technology, DGBL offers a more innovative and engaging learning experience from traditional approaches [17]. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDGBL involves the integration of gaming and learning experiences and in doing so, introduces a play-based approach esteemed by professionals, academics, and policy makers for its potential to increase student engagement and motivation while driving a learning focus [1,18]. Walsh and Clementson [19] highlight multiple benefits of play-based pedagogies in higher education, citing their value in promoting the development of core inter and intrapersonal skills essential for student success and future employability. Through play, students feel involved, see things from alternative perspectives, practise skills, enjoy learning and associated challenge, learn good communication and team working skills; they develop empathy, reflection and tolerant citizenship [19]. Experiences such as these foster optimism, positive psychological wellbeing and sense of belonging, all of which contribute to an individual\u0026rsquo;s resilience [20].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterest in the use and efficacy of DGBL modalities is increasing [21] and multiple studies report its benefit for promoting resilience. All et al. [26] note its potential to support knowledge transfer, skills-based tuition, and/or behavioural change.\u0026nbsp;Habibi [22] highlights the value of digital games for their capacity to engage failure and resilience as important aspects of gameplay. Digital games often involve overcoming obstacles to progress to the next level and learning approaches to develop the strength to keep going [23]. Engagement of this nature has potential to promote what Taleb [24] defines as an \u0026lsquo;anti-fragile\u0026rsquo; mindset where an individual appraises challenges as opportunities for growth rather than as problems; through this lens they encounter and overcome adversity to become stronger and better able to face future challenges [24]. \u0026nbsp;This is especially important for undergraduate students who are likely to encounter a myriad of stressors and emotions, challenges, or failures, associated with the social, psychological, and cultural dynamics of the student journey [25].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe current study\u0026nbsp;explores the user experience (Ux) of a digital game designed to teach resilience capacities to undergraduate students and in doing so contributes to the growing discourse\u0026nbsp;examining the use and efficacy of interactive technologies to support learning [21]. \u0026nbsp;This study is the first in a series, exploring the design and use of a DGBL tool called, \u0026lsquo;Resilience Education Supports Students in Life\u0026rsquo; (RESSIL). RESSIL is intended to promote knowledge transfer and behaviour change using real-world scenarios that engage users\u0026rsquo; problem-solving and decision-making skills; it provides feedback to support learning and is intended to increase students\u0026rsquo; understanding of resilience through the development of capacities including empathy, social connectedness, coping, and stress management. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis paper reports the initial findings of the user experience (Ux) of RESSIL and its potential for supporting students to learn strategies that promote resilience. No agreed protocol for examining the efficacy of DGBL currently exists [26] and in this study an exploration of Ux has been chosen for its potential to support an examination of the game elements and learning content that define the game design and from which it is possible to discern the effectiveness and success of the game (27,28).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2 Background and Context","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u0026lsquo;Resilience Education Supports Students in Life\u0026rsquo; (RESSIL) is a co-created digital game, developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from a Scottish University working in partnership with a fourth-year student studying BSc (Hons) Digital Interaction Design from the same institution. RESSIL is an adventure-based wellbeing game intended to support undergraduate students to develop their understanding of resilience capacities, for example, regulating emotion, gaining perspective, coping, stress management, and positive relationships.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCo-creation is a valuable part of this study\u0026rsquo;s research design, bringing together staff and student participation in the design, development, and trial of the game prototype. Co-creation is an approach that has been used effectively in business and health sciences to amalgamate stakeholder expertise to inform creative problem-solving and innovative solutions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. In education contexts, researchers identify the value of engaging student voice in game design, development, and gameplay, noting it contributes favourably to results when students are engaged as co-producers and emphasizing its importance in improving curriculum design in game-based learning environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Co-creation supports a synthesis of knowledge as a \u0026ldquo;heterogenous transaction\u0026rdquo; ([\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e], p. 396) and in this study it united individuals with expertise in a host of areas including digital game-based learning design, education, wellbeing, and student experience; a key priority in the co-creation design was the involvement of undergraduate students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEngaging a student stakeholder in the development stages introduced a unique and significant dynamic that was important to the prototype design; this included strong illustration abilities leading to the use of engaging graphics; User Experience (Ux) design skills relevant to the target population; and an understanding of the learner motivations from a student perspective. The additional focus on recruiting undergraduate students to participate in trialing the game provided opportunity to explore players thoughts and feelings from which it was possible to inductively examine patterns and themes relevant to the Ux and bespoke to the target population.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCollaboration by team members supported a cross-pollination of ideas that made it possible to overcome a primary challenge of DGBL designs to effectively weave together learning content with entertainment value to inform a positive Ux [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Team members with expertise in student experience, wellbeing and resilience conveyed theoretical knowledge and developed learning content to meet the games intended learning outcomes, while members with expertise in interaction design and gaming experience identified innovative and engaging approaches for capturing learning content through the game design. Collaborative discussions supported the team in defining a congruent approach to the game design to effectively weave together the learning and entertainment strands.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e​\u003cb\u003e2.1 Game Design\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe game design adopts a narrative that includes a role-playing adventure metaphor based on a captain and his team taking a hot air balloon ride across an imaginary island (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Narrative and role-play are scenario-based learning (SBL) strategies that use scenarios as a vehicle for the teaching and learning process, providing students with the opportunity to learn from and apply their learning to realistic experiences [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. The game is implemented with a click-through experience prototype [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] using Google Slides. Players take the role of captain and land their hot air balloon on coloured tiles linked with different types of mini games to help develop the player\u0026rsquo;s understanding of resilience in relation to their education. The five categories of mini games are emotion, time, motivation, managing change and managing stress. Using SBL strategies embedded in the digital game provides a safe opportunity for students to learn and develop their decision-making, and problem-solving skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Along with very well resolved visual elements, background sound is also embedded throughout to give a sense of atmosphere and help show different phases of game play.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the captain, the player interacts with four crew mate characters who pose questions throughout. The questions require the player to engage with the relevant mini-game topic. This sometimes requires the player to use the visual appearance of the characters to judge what the best course of action was. For example, after landing on one tile, the captain is met by a character who looks visibly ill. The captain is asked to choose between directing the teammate to \u0026ldquo;fix the engine\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;fix the basket\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;go relax\u0026rdquo; (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). By engaging with the crewmate\u0026rsquo;s visual body language, the captain needs to recognise the presence of high stress associated with being physically unwell and offer an appropriate strategy based on the options provided. The correct answer is to instruct the crewmate to \u0026ldquo;go relax\u0026rdquo; and links to the player\u0026rsquo;s prior learning about stress, critical thinking, and leadership skills by reinforcing this in a workplace situation. Depending on which option is chosen, the player either progresses further along the journey or is asked to try again. In the event the player is required to try again, additional, short pieces of text appear, providing further information, strategies, and techniques for how to manage stress and build resilience.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the game progresses, an embedded interactive marketplace activity provides the player with an opportunity to choose different objects to help them along their journey (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). These objects act as a metaphor by representing different types of support tools that could help players cope positively to mitigate against stress. For example, the player could choose to buy a propeller that represents goal setting/action planning to keep moving forward in their learning journey.​\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe player completes the game by successfully traversing the gameboard journey, and in doing so, having addressed the various character vignettes that required them to correctly apply knowledge, skills, and strategies designed to build resilience capacities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe embedded use of scenario-based learning strategies as part of the DGBL design supported a positive learning and entertainment experience; immersion in realistic, real-world scenarios provided rich learning opportunities, and the targeted use of game elements including mechanics and aesthetics leveraged motivation and engagement [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3 Method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 The Study Design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis paper reports findings from a pilot study exploring the Ux of RESSIL. The pilot study is a purposeful tool in research design, garnering further insight into important and meaningful characteristics of significance to the Ux design [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Emri and M\u0026auml;yr\u0026auml; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] cite the value of understanding Ux, acknowledging it is a foundation for \u0026ldquo;understanding what a game is\u0026rdquo; (p. 1). The pilot study provided the opportunity to explore and better understand differences in Ux, recognising variability in experience levels, interests, and game-appeal to provide a meaningful learning environment [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuided by principles of pragmatism [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e], the research favoured an inductive exploration of gameplay experiences to achieve an insightful understanding of the Ux that could be used to shape future game iterations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. Ethical approval was obtained according to the university\u0026rsquo;s standard procedure, and the pilot study took place between June and October 2022. The following section provides an overview of the approaches to data collection, and analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Participants and Procedure\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants were recruited using the university\u0026rsquo;s internal email communication system from three different undergraduate programmes: Community Education; Initial Teacher Education; Digital Interaction Design. Three focus groups with between 2 and 5 participants in each group (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9; M\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4; F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5) were hosted in an online Microsoft TEAMs meeting space. The focus groups involved two parts: to begin, participants were asked to engage in 20 minutes of individual gameplay with the RESSIL prototype, after which they engaged in a 30-minute semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews provide a rich opportunity to engage users as the experts in their own experience from which it is possible to decipher their understanding of what the game is [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research team developed a semi-structured interview framework containing open-ended questions, which provided a standardised structure for each of the focus group facilitators while supporting a flexible approach to the unfolding participant discussion to ensure a rich exploration of experiences [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Nine areas of interest, including, the user\u0026rsquo;s game experience; the intended vs received purpose of the game; new knowledge and skills; motivation; engagement; transferrable skills; sensory experience; and areas for development, were explored. Video recording was used to capture each focus group with transcriptions following; qualitative data was cleaned to remove unwanted instructional information and narrative was edited to correct grammar and syntax without altering the text meaning [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. The transcriptions captured the spoken word and noted non-verbal language including tonal changes, and body language (i.e. nodding, or shaking of one\u0026rsquo;s head). Cohen et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e] note the importance of this multi-layered approach to transcription for overcoming the otherwise opaque nature of a verbal transcription.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe analysis process involved three stages. Guided by Braun and Clarke [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e] stage 1 engaged multiple research team members in data sorting, annotating and colour coding the transcriptions to identify emerging codes across the nine areas of interest. A digital whiteboard was used to capture the codes and discussion by team members, agreeing or revisiting data until consensus was achieved [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. The use of multiple coders in this initial stage of analysis embedded a higher degree of rigour than achievable by one coder, overcoming the inherent risk of privileging one interpretation over another [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn stage 2, the primary researcher used axial coding [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e] to categorise the initial codes according to three dimensions of Ux: utility, usability, desirability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. This involved a process of constant comparison and theoretical revisiting from which it was possible to combine the data from across the 9 areas of interest [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. The three dimensions of Ux support the game designer understanding the accessibility, functionality, aesthetic appeal, and general \u003cem\u003efit for purpose-ness\u003c/em\u003e of the game from the user perspective [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. This led to stage 3, which involved deciphering the emerging themes related to the fit-for-purpose-ness of the game [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e captures the three stages of analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe next section of writing explores each theme to better understand RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s learning and entertainment value.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4 Findings and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eEducational games are complex to design. They require the coherent weaving together of learning and game elements, including the dynamics, mechanics, and aesthetics, the success of which has implications for the user experience (Ux) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. The quality of the Ux relates to the thoughts and feelings the user has during gameplay and ultimately informs the effectiveness and success of the game [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Understanding the Ux is important as it provides actionable insights that are significant to future iterations of the game design and an overall picture of the games potential for achieving a learning outcome [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis exploratory study aimed at better understanding the Ux of an early prototype adventure-based wellbeing game designed to promote resilience, called RESSIL. Researchers were interested in the games\u0026rsquo; potential for supporting students to learn about resilience factors that inform wellbeing. Thematic analysis supported identifying patterns across player experiences making it possible to locate practical concerns and enhance the game design [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. Four themes significant to the Ux related to learning and the use of game elements emerged from the analysis. These themes were: game purpose and premise; Ux coherence; emotional engagement; learning potential and transferable skills. The following section explores each theme, their relevance to Ux and significance to the digital game-based design.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.1 Game Purpose and Premise\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFindings suggest the purpose and premise are important design features that contribute favourably to the Ux. The purpose and premise are closely interacting dynamics in game design; these dynamics drive the game and inform a game designer\u0026rsquo;s structural and mechanic decision-making. Their integration into the game design influences how users interact with and find value in a product making them a significant factor in a user\u0026rsquo;s motivation and engagement [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn educational games, the purpose has both an entertainment and a learning focus, which ultimately informs the game\u0026rsquo;s utility [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. This dual focus demands attention to design features that are both entertaining and have pedagogical value [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. They must be woven together in a way that supports the development of knowledge and skills associated with a desired learning outcome while bringing an entertainment value to the user [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s purpose is to support users develop their understanding of resilience factors and how to apply these in real life. This learning purpose was reflected favourably in the findings, suggesting design considerations positively influenced this aspect of the Ux. The following quotes provide context:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI think it's really effective in its purpose, assuming it\u0026rsquo;s to foster resilience in folk. I think it's effective in communicating that message and I think it's really helpful in how it does externalize people's needs, their feelings and perspectives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe game is about a way in which they can see how they can practice well-being and resilience and the value it is to themselves and other people.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContent from the previous quotes allude to the underpinning premise of the game and the influence it had on promoting engagement by \u003cem\u003eexternalising needs, feelings, and perspectives\u003c/em\u003e, and through \u003cem\u003e\u0026lsquo;[seeing]\u003c/em\u003e \u003cb\u003ehow\u003c/b\u003e \u003cem\u003ethey can practice wellbeing\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e. Grudpan et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e] define premise as a story behind the game that brings an unchanging and permeating meaning. RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s designers used narrative and role-play [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e] to create the premise and to establish a set of \u0026ldquo;behavioural intentions\u0026rdquo; ([\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e], p. 225) oriented toward the health and wellbeing of a team and that effectively bridged the game\u0026rsquo;s learning and entertainment purpose. Within the game\u0026rsquo;s storyline, the player took on the role of a ship\u0026rsquo;s captain, who encountered problems along the journey. To advance in the game, the captain was required to solve the problems - which involved threats to individual team members\u0026rsquo; wellbeing. In doing so, the player learned about and practised using various resilience capacities to positively support the team\u0026rsquo;s wellbeing and to successfully complete the story. This understanding comes through positively in the following participant quote:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeam working, and how to maintain health, healthy relationships with people. Running into problems and how to overcome them with the most level-headed attitude.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWell-designed DGBL environments have the potential to improve real-world skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. The game\u0026rsquo;s premise promoted the use of problem-solving and leadership skills, team-working, and awareness of others. This made it possible to introduce and engage players meaningfully in real-world issues to be surmounted through the adventure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Findings suggest these aspects of the game were valued by participants:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe theme of the captain of the airship was quite compelling\u0026hellip; the leadership narrative and taking care of the folks that are on your ship and giving them that time and empathy and working solutions out potentially with them. It\u0026rsquo;s a lesson in person centred engagement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdaptive problem-solving was effectively integrated through the story line and as the quote suggests, introduced a \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003eleadership narrative\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e that allowed users to interact with learning materials to practice core skills related to resilience. Kucher [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e] highlights adaptive problem-solving and interactivity as two favourable principles of DGBL design and the illustrative quotes are indicative of the value of these principles to a positive Ux. By weaving the purpose and premise of the game through a narrative structure, users found value in the utility of RESSIL.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.2 Ux Coherence\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA core challenge for education game designers is realising the translation of learning purpose into an entertaining game design that will promote a cohesive Ux that is both educational and entertaining ([\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], p. 393). Coherence is a significant factor in Ux, fuelling or extinguishing the user\u0026rsquo;s immersive state according to the influence on engagement, motivation, intrinsic game value and learning potential [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. DGBL designers attend to coherence through the sophisticated weaving together of game mechanics and aesthetics [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. The mechanics promote fun and enjoyment during gameplay and are what drive a player\u0026rsquo;s actions, behaviours, and control [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. Examples include the use of points, stories, badges, or performance graphs [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e]. The aesthetics inform the seamless flow of the game and include, for example, audiovisual features, rules, and temporal features. These inform \u003cem\u003ehow\u003c/em\u003e the game plays and contribute to the emotional, intellectual, and practical aspects of the user\u0026rsquo;s experience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. When combined, they support the game\u0026rsquo;s coherence, effectively bridging together pedagogical concerns with entertainment and contributing to the desirability of game [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFindings bring attention to an aspect of RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s game design where the weaving together of mechanics and visual aesthetics lacked coherence. Participants found the mechanical use of text was intellectually demanding, which on first encounter in the analysis was a reasonable finding given RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s intended undergraduate student audience. However, further analysis revealed a conflicting evaluation of the game\u0026rsquo;s visual aesthetics, which participants felt spoke to a much younger audience. The contrast between the mechanics and visual aesthetics disrupted the Ux, generating uncertainty about the intended audience and overall usability of the game. One participant commented \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;there is a lot of text, especially for a 10-year-old\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e, and others suggested the \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003emessage is slightly mature\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e and \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eadvanced\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen asked to provide more insight into who the intended audience should be, another participant\u0026rsquo;s response clarified the cause of uncertainty, bringing attention to the conflicting interaction between the mechanical choice of text and the visual aesthetics of the game:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI think in terms of the actual visual aesthetic, it's probably closer to children, but the actual content of it is for those [who are] older.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ineffective weaving together of the text and character graphics had a negative impact on the Ux in terms of the user\u0026rsquo;s sense of value and accessibility of the game for its intended undergraduate student audience. This finding highlights an area of RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s design that threatens its usability and desirability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. For a young audience, the heavy use of text and \u003cem\u003e\u0026lsquo;slightly mature\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e messaging may negatively impact fun and engagement, while an audience capable of engaging the text-based learning material, may be de-motivated by the child-friendly character graphics. A game that is fun, motivating, and supports engagement is likely to invoke feelings of pleasure and desirability with positive implications for learning making this a significant factor in the game\u0026rsquo;s success and a priority for consideration in the game design [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.3 Emotional Engagement\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmotion is a significant factor for consideration in DGBL. It influences how an individual thinks, feels, acts, and interacts in each situation and has direct implications for learning and Ux [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e]. One emotion central to the Ux and a game\u0026rsquo;s success is \u003cem\u003eenjoyment\u003c/em\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e]; it is indicative of an individual\u0026rsquo;s sense of pleasure and signals positive intrinsic motivation and effort. The experience of enjoyment functions to mediate learning by activating higher order processes including attention, self-regulation, and flexible thinking [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]. Players who enjoy the game experience are likely to persist in game play, which in turn supports their ongoing involvement in the learning process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors suggest a well-designed game that effectively intertwines game elements will inspire activating emotions, for example, excitement, joy, pride, and frustration, while avoiding deactivating emotions such as boredom [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. Findings bring to light aspects of RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s game design that cultivated positive user emotions and had a positive impact on motivation and engagement. This is captured in the following quotes that highlight the importance of multisensory opportunities to elicit positive emotion experiences.\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI thought the graphics were really good. I wanted to see what would come up next. And I think because the games were so different as well, you weren\u0026rsquo;t repeating the same thing...I think that's what I liked about it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis quote highlights the relationship between a positive emotion experience associated with feeling something is \u0026lsquo;really good\u0026rsquo; and a player\u0026rsquo;s motivation to persist in gameplay.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA second participant valued the \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003edialogue choice\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e used to develop the character narratives, while another responded favourably to the use of scoring, describing how it \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003emotivated [them] to see what [their] score would be and if [they] could improve it if [they] played again\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e. Multiple participants praised the use of mini-games and music, finding them \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003equite engaging\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e and prompted positive emotion responses that favoured positive Ux. These findings highlight what Adipat et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e] describe as design features that generate player interest and curiosity and in doing so inject a sustaining value for the game, signalling its desirability, and potential to support learning.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen a player appraises an aspect of gameplay unfavourably it informs a negative emotion experience that has negative implications for engagement and motivation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. This was reflected in the participant feedback related to the overuse of text that was required to engage in game play. One participant described their sense of \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003eboredom in the middle of the game\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e through the ongoing need to read the text. Boredom is a detrimental emotion to the Ux [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. It signals a lack of meaningful engagement characterised by waning attention, low stimulation, and lack of value for the game experience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e]. It reflects the user\u0026rsquo;s dissatisfaction with the usability of the game and signals low desirability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e]. This is an important finding, highlighting a concern that poses a threat to the game\u0026rsquo;s long-term success, its potential to support learning, and signals an area for further development.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.4 Learning Potential and Transferable Skills\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning opportunities that support the development of transferable inter and intra-personal skills are a priority in Higher Education [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e]. Boctor [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e] suggests a strength of educational games is their applied potential; with successful games supporting participants to learn problem-solving skills, analyse a situation, and apply acquired knowledge in real life. Findings suggest RESSIL supported players in learning about and developing transferable skills related to their own resilience capacities. The following participant comments indicate a growing understanding related to empathy, managing stress, and coping strategies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor two participants, learning new perspectives about the importance of social support promoted the development of transferable skills related to managing stress:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I think for me, it was that helping others can be an effective strategy for stress\u0026hellip;Sometimes when we are stressed and go into hyper focus on our own world and our own problems it's quite hard to get out of that funk, so it's maybe that a positive strategy to deal with some of the challenges in your own life, is to help people with theirs. \u0026ldquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;We never need to stop cultivating good relationships and nurturing the bonds that we share with people. They always need tended to and that's just life. It's maintenance. \u0026ldquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe sense of caring for others and valuing relationships that emerges from the previous quotes suggests an understanding of social relatedness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e]. Social relatedness is an important resilience factor that informs active problem solving; this is a positive coping strategy with positive implications to wellbeing based on its capacity to inform a sense of control and confidence that allows an individual to persist and move through an experience in a positive direction [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e]. For undergraduate students who encounter a multitude of daily life and study related stresses, social relatedness is a positive protective factor that informs resilience and is a significant resource in student success [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSailer et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e] found game designs that include the use of meaningful stories or assign a player a meaningful role prompt social relatedness, informing the player\u0026rsquo;s situational interest, motivation, and learner engagement. The following quotes provide evidence, illustrating the interconnectedness of social relatedness and transferable skills, and illuminating both the positive learning potential and entertainment value of the game:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first scenario asked you to respond to a crewmate that was unwell. I think I reflected on that because I probably - if it was a real-life situation, would have just said, \u0026lsquo;Oh, are you OK?\u0026rsquo; but I feel like now, that's maybe not the most helpful thing to say. So now I would consider \u003cb\u003eactually\u003c/b\u003e asking them what I could do to help, and that would be more helpful than just asking \u0026lsquo;Are they OK?\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe social relatedness experienced through role play has led to new learning characterized by the participant\u0026rsquo;s changed perspective, new sense of emotional availability, and attention to the scenario [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e]. The participant\u0026rsquo;s revised approach demonstrates an \u0026lsquo;active\u0026rsquo; interest and motivation to engage through which there is opportunity to internalize learning [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e]. As a game element, role play can be seen as a significant factor in Ux, positively influencing both the learning aim and the entertainment value of the game. This finding is reflected by Partala and Kallinen [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e] who highlight relatedness as a core determinant in player satisfaction, informing their appraisal of a game\u0026rsquo;s usability and long-term success.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA further exchange between participants reveals the applied learning potential and transferable skills related to coping strategies that promote resilience:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant 1:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne that I noticed was focusing on what you \u003cb\u003ecan\u003c/b\u003e change and not to worry too much about what you can't change\u0026hellip; I think it's great that it's in the game. It can really help people's mindset if they're not aware of that already.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eParticipant 3:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYeah, I would agree with Participant 1 just because I had never thought about that in those different scenarios until the game said it. And then I realized that's what I was doing - kind of thinking about what I could change rather than what I couldn't. So, it was useful that it explicitly said that because that's something I wouldn't have if I was teaching resilience, I wouldn't have thought to explicitly teach that. But that is really what managing stress is about.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is an important finding, suggesting RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s potential for promoting resilience through fostering the development of protective factors such as perspective and coping [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Perspective is one factor that contributes to resilience and that informs wellbeing; as an approach to coping, perspective influences behaviour, emotion, and decision-making [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e66\u003c/span\u003e] and helps an individual to maintain equilibrium; persist during adversity; adaptively respond and contend with challenging situations, and continue toward a positive outcome [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. It is also the most common factor with which undergraduate students struggle [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e] making it an important learning outcome and highlighting the potential value of RESSIL as a resilience intervention.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe quotes shared in the previous section of findings bring attention to reflection as a factor in Ux that influenced learning potential and transferability of knowledge and skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e67\u003c/span\u003e]. The scenarios gave context that prompted noticing, awareness, and engagement with new thinking and meaning making [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e68\u003c/span\u003e]. These are important components that support adult learners to understand their own experiences and that promote transformation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e68\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e69\u003c/span\u003e]. This finding suggests there is a positive potential for RESSIL to support learning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn exploration of Ux has been an effective approach for examining the effectiveness of RESIL as an interactive technology intervention designed to support undergraduate students learn about resilience in life. The four themes that emerged through the analysis have provided useful understanding and actionable insights into the RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s potential, highlighting valuable design features and game elements that promoted engagement and learning, and bringing attention to areas for enhancement [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eProserpio and Gioia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e] emphasise the need to align teaching and learning experiences with social and technological change, noting current generations of students are virtual learners. As such learning environments must be designed to address this contemporary reality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e]. In response, DGBL experiences are gaining popularity in higher education as a teaching and learning approach that can bridge pedagogical interests in a technologically rich space and in doing so provide an innovative, interactive, student-centered environment that is motivating and engaging for leaners [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis pilot study explored the Ux of RESSIL, an adventure-based digital game designed to support undergraduate students to learn about resilience. Our aim was to better understand the effectiveness and value of the DGBL design and RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s potential for supporting students to learn about resilience factors that inform wellbeing. Building resilience is important for undergraduate students who face an array of stresses related to study and daily life [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]; resilience supports them contend during periods of adversity, to recover from stress, and to maintain a positive trajectory [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Findings from this pilot study provide valuable insight into RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s use and design considerations that may enhance the game\u0026rsquo;s potential for achieving its aim. Furthermore, they build on the growing discourse exploring the use of DGBL modalities in higher education, drawing attention to significant design features, and reinforcing their use in technology-based resilience interventions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur inductive exploration brought attention to the effectiveness of RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s game design, made visible through its positive influence on Ux and the cultivation of transferrable skills directly related to resilience capacities that inform student wellbeing. The integration of scenario-based learning strategies including narrative and role-play were central to RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s success. These supported the game designer in generating a clear purpose and premise that drove the translation and integration of the learning and entertainment interests. Narrative and role-play captured user interest, established social connection, situational meaning, prompted reflection, and promoted value in the utility of the game. These conditions supported knowledge transfer and applied understanding [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] that helped learners construct their understanding of interpersonal factors impacting resilience and wellbeing and how these might be overcome in a real-world context [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e69\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe importance of mechanics and aesthetics reinforced findings that highlight their value in facilitating learning [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e] and drew specific attention to their influence on RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s usability and desirability according to their impact on motivation and engagement in response to the user\u0026rsquo;s emotion experience. Notably, our findings highlight the need for varied, multisensory opportunities as a condition for eliciting positive emotion experiences. Over-reliance on one strategy, for example, text-based engagement proved to be deactivating for the user with negative implications to motivation and engagement. Future iterations in RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s design will take this factor into consideration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImportantly, we have learned the negative potential when the integration of learning content and game elements do not align. This negatively impacts the Ux through a lack of coherence that disrupts the game\u0026rsquo;s utility, usability, and desirability, with negative implications to its success. This finding centralizes what others have previously highlighted as the key challenge in designing effective DGBL environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e] and has prompted a deeper reflection on our approach to the game design. Specifically, it prompted reflection on our methodological decision-making prompting an exploration of the significance of co-creation in our design process, and alighting attention to future considerations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCo-creation embedded a commitment to collaboration, shared thinking and decision-making, effective communication, and problem solving [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Through co-creation we were able to identify, adapt, and overcome challenges including different pedagogies and vocabularies associated with our diverse histories and experiences. Co-creation supported the successful and integrated working of all team members to meet the mutual goal of an integrated learning experience and was a core factor in RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s overall success [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA unique feature in RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s game design was starting from an educational learning perspective and venturing into game design; this offered a different trajectory than someone who started as a game designer trying to introduce education theory. As part of the co-creation process, it helped to ensure a pedagogical focus driven by a well-established theoretical basis from which the educationalists and game designers could engage in rich discussions informing game element design decision-making [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. This aspect of development has also introduced an awareness of the need to ensure a balanced approach to the interplay of pedagogic content and game elements. Over focus on the need to convey information may have influenced a text-heavy focus and future game iterations will take this into consideration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur reflections also brought to the fore the importance of student stakeholders as participants in the co-creation process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Inviting undergraduate students to participate in the various stages of the research process, including the design aspects and pilot study introduced a meaningful and relevant voice that has enhanced articulation and integration into the design decision-making process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Reflection has given rise to future considerations exploring the potential power imbalance that exists between members of the design team and working to ensure the student designer feels equally weighted in discussing the use of elements to convey pedagogical content. This may have been a factor that influenced over-reliance on the text-based element of the game.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs a small-scale exploration, the pilot study has confirmed the use of RESSIL as a resilience intervention. It has provided useful insight into game enhancements that will be applied in the next design phase and supported our exploration of co-creation as a design process, highlighting future considerations. The findings have laid the groundwork for a robust study examining the efficacy of the game in supporting undergraduate students to learn about and adopt resilience capacities that support wellbeing. Future research must engage a larger participant population from different universities through which it will be possible to generalize findings on the game\u0026rsquo;s effectiveness as a resilience intervention.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eDGBL\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDigital games\u0026ndash;based learning\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eSBL\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScenario based learning\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eRESSIL\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResilience Education Supports Students in Life\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWW \u0026ndash; was the lead investigator and analyst, and the primary contributor to the article. PG \u0026ndash; was a supporting investigator, analyst, and contributor to the article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJS, KH, GM - were supporting investigators, each helped in the initial stages of data sorting, and contributed to the review of literature that informed the article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors read and agreed on the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Information\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWendee White\u003c/strong\u003e is a Lecturer in Education and Curriculum and Assessment Convenor on the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education Programme at the University of Dundee. Through her research Wendee explores the synergistic interactions of emotion, wellbeing and learning in student experience.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Gault\u003c/strong\u003e is a Lecturer in Interaction Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee. Paul\u0026rsquo;s research interests include design ethnography with a focus on co-design with different types of people whose voices are seldom heard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJill Shimi\u003c/strong\u003e is a Senior Lecturer in School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law at the University of Dundee. Jill\u0026rsquo;s research interests have included: mentoring, games based learning and global citizenship.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKristi Louise Herd\u003c/strong\u003e is a Programmes Manager at the University of Dundee. Kristi is an experienced game designer having worked in the gaming industry for several years before joining the university. Kristi\u0026rsquo;s research interests include implementing strategical problem solving by means of Design Thinking and Design Methods.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGaye Manwaring\u003c/strong\u003e is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee. She has run courses on resilience and wellbeing both online and face-to-face.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e The game design and development was supported with funding from the QAA Scotland Enhancement Theme\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of interest/competing interests\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; Not applicable/ none to declare\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of Data and Materials\u003c/strong\u003e: - The data utilized in this study is not publicly available. Due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, access to the dataset is restricted. However, upon reasonable request, the corresponding author may consider sharing anonymized data or providing access to specific portions of the dataset, subject to the approval of relevant institutional review boards and compliance with ethical guidelines at the University of Dundee. Requests for data access should be directed to [email protected]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCode Availability\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; Not applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics Approval and Consent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e \u0026ndash; all experimental protocols were approved by the University of Dundee Ethics Committee. All experiments were performed according to ethical guidelines and regulations. Informed consent was gained from all participants as part of the research protocol.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eWe would like to express our gratitude to Aiesha Duncan for her invaluable contributions to this research project. Aiesha provided digital game design expertise in the development of the game prototype. Many thanks to Donna Dey, Angela Lyndsay, and Patricia Thomson for supporting the research and content development phase of the project. We would also like to acknowledge the support of QAA Scotland for providing financial support for this research.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAdvanceHE. Education for sustainable development guidance. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and Advance HE. 2021. 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Routledge. 2005. pp. 1\u0026ndash;15.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"resilience, wellbeing, digital games-based learning, student success, co-creation, technology interventions","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4219354/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4219354/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study addresses the increasing recognition of resilience as a pivotal component of student success against the backdrop of mounting concerns regarding student mental health and wellbeing in higher education. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature, the study integrates insights from resilience theory and digital game-based learning to inform the design of an adventure-based digital game, \u0026lsquo;Resilience Education Supports Students in Life\u0026rsquo; (RESSIL), aimed at developing the resilience capacities of undergraduate students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA purposeful pilot study approach supports an exploration of the User Experience (Ux) to gain insights into the effectiveness and value of RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s design and its potential for achieving its intended aim. Focus group discussions engage undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds and thematic analysis sheds light on the effectiveness of RESSIL's game design in fostering engagement, facilitating knowledge transfer, and nurturing resilience-related skills among players.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings underscore the significance of integrating narrative-driven gameplay and multisensory engagement to cultivate meaningful Ux and improve learning outcomes. Furthermore, the study highlights the critical role of aligning learning content with game elements to ensure coherence and optimise the game's utility. Insights gained from this pilot study offer valuable guidance for enhancing the game and lay the foundation for a larger study investigating RESSIL\u0026rsquo;s efficacy as a resilience intervention. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on DGBL in higher education, emphasising the importance of user-centered design principles and co-creation methodologies in developing effective educational games.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Exploring Digital Games-Based Learning Design for Enhancing Resilience in Higher Education Students: Unveiling the Potential of RESSIL","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-04-22 09:02:57","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4219354/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"41b91a99-1462-4c64-b281-e77bb65eefc1","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 22nd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-23T02:23:45+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-04-22 09:02:57","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4219354","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4219354","identity":"rs-4219354","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}